My eyes felt that they were being tricked, when I saw "flatted" instead of 'flattened' but it's not a typo!
adjective: flatted
1.
NORTH AMERICAN•MUSIC
(of a note) lowered by a semitone.
"a blues song sung with flatted notes"
2.
made flat; flattened.
"they lived in a cabin roofed with flatted tin cans"
A second wedding can be more joyous away from the parental and peer pressure of one while a youngster. After watching The Graduate (1967 film with Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross, and Dustin Hoffman) I was reminded how calmer they can be!
What a wonderful and evocative haiku about desire and time, and the resonances and vibrations that are inevitably muffled by the passing years–even in the midst of a gesture of hope and renewal. Seven words, and so much of life included. I love, too, how something so specific–the sound of the ringing of a bell–is universalized is this poem. Plus, it's very fresh and surprising–even down to the inevitable double-take that takes in the wonderful and unusual word "flatted," and all its meanings and associations. This bell rings for me! Thank you, Bob.
Although the first line in Bob Lucky’s poem sets the scene at a wedding, there isn’t the same sense of excitement and joy about what the future might hold for the newlyweds, because they’ve done it all before. Perhaps the first occasion was a huge affair for the bride—a white wedding with lots of guests. She may be remembering her father, now deceased, walking her down the aisle of her hometown church, and this second service is taking place in a registry office. In my imagination it’s in the same town and the “flatted” bells toll a much more subdued sense of celebration, and even a hint of sadness. Although the subject matter is fairly specific, this haiku is sufficiently open, thereby inviting the reader to create their own narrative.
April 11th, 2023 at 8:39 am
second wedding
church bells
flatted by time
—Bob Lucky
My eyes felt that they were being tricked, when I saw "flatted" instead of 'flattened' but it's not a typo!
adjective: flatted
1.
NORTH AMERICAN•MUSIC
(of a note) lowered by a semitone.
"a blues song sung with flatted notes"
2.
made flat; flattened.
"they lived in a cabin roofed with flatted tin cans"
A second wedding can be more joyous away from the parental and peer pressure of one while a youngster. After watching The Graduate (1967 film with Anne Bancroft, Katherine Ross, and Dustin Hoffman) I was reminded how calmer they can be!
April 11th, 2023 at 11:21 am
What a wonderful and evocative haiku about desire and time, and the resonances and vibrations that are inevitably muffled by the passing years–even in the midst of a gesture of hope and renewal. Seven words, and so much of life included. I love, too, how something so specific–the sound of the ringing of a bell–is universalized is this poem. Plus, it's very fresh and surprising–even down to the inevitable double-take that takes in the wonderful and unusual word "flatted," and all its meanings and associations. This bell rings for me! Thank you, Bob.
April 11th, 2023 at 12:56 pm
When I first read it I immediately thought of the flat sound of a cracked bell—the flaws inevitable in real life.
April 11th, 2023 at 10:14 pm
warms my heart, well done ❤️
April 15th, 2023 at 12:31 am
Although the first line in Bob Lucky’s poem sets the scene at a wedding, there isn’t the same sense of excitement and joy about what the future might hold for the newlyweds, because they’ve done it all before. Perhaps the first occasion was a huge affair for the bride—a white wedding with lots of guests. She may be remembering her father, now deceased, walking her down the aisle of her hometown church, and this second service is taking place in a registry office. In my imagination it’s in the same town and the “flatted” bells toll a much more subdued sense of celebration, and even a hint of sadness. Although the subject matter is fairly specific, this haiku is sufficiently open, thereby inviting the reader to create their own narrative.